Ford India has just introduced the second-generation of its Figo small car; and safety seems to be its prime selling point, writes KUSHAN MITRA
Somewhere down the 165-kilometre long Taj Expressway connecting Greater Noida to Agra, you realise just how boring the road is, because it’s as poker straight as a female newscaster’s hair. That said, the Ford Figo is not a bad car to be stuck in on this road.
In the diesel variant that we’re driving on this sunny day, you realise that the car not only has some low-end punch but can also travel pretty fast and given the general lack of excitement among diesel cars in the hatchback segment, this unit with a 100PS under the hood is a surprisingly great highway mile muncher.
But this is a highly competitive segment, even for diesel cars. And Ford has not exactly been a big player in the segment. But armed with a state-of-the-art factory in Gujarat, Ford India now plans to take on the big boys of the small car segment, that is, Maruti and Hyundai. And the Figo is a capable car to compete with. It is smart to look at from the outside; a sharp waistline and nicely proportioned head and tail lights make it one of the smarter looking cars in the segment.
That does not take away from the fact that there are some small niggles. The luggage area is nothing much to write home about although the rear-seat legroom is not bad at all. Unfortunately, the top-end Titanium+ specification does not have a split rear seat, even though we are informed that this is not a feature often used in India. And then there is the sameness of the interiors on the Figo with its other Ford siblings. Commonality is not a bad thing, but the similar layout dating back to the almost four-year old Fiesta could have done with a bit of a refresh.
That said, the Figo is redeemed by its driving quality and the fact that Ford has focussed on safety. Even the base model comes with a driver airbag as standard and top-end Titanium+ specification car has six airbags. This focus on safety is welcome especially in a country where road safety has been ignored for far too long. Of course, airbags are not the be-all and end-all of car safety, but six airbags on a car that costs under seven lakh rupees (for the petrol variant) is a start.
Ford also showcased the petrol automatic variant of the Figo during the drive. The automatic is equipped with a larger 1.5-litre petrol engine with 112PS of power. The power is nice, but this larger engine unfortunately means that the car can’t qualify for the excise benefits given to small cars. The automatic is perfectly suited to the start-stop traffic conditions of a city, but on the open road, the gearbox’s sensors did have some peculiar kickdowns at certain speed envelopes. However, this is a smart gearbox on the whole and a compelling buy at just a tad under seven lakh rupees (ex-showroom, Delhi) and this comes in the Titanium-specification version. The engine that we did not test on this particular drive was the smaller 1.2-litre petrol engine with 88PS of power which comes with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Figo is priced very competitively given the competition. The base model petrol costs just Rs4.3 lakh and the base model diesel just Rs5.3 lakh. Although the Titanium+ spec cars are the versions with all the features, including the six airbags, they are more expensive, although they are the better buys; the petrol version costs Rs6.4 lakh and the diesel Rs7.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). However, given the segment, one will have to wait and watch to see whether Ford can crack the Maruti and Hyundai sales defences.
Stealing thunderIJ
Renault’s ‘KWID’ small car has been priced aggressively with Maruti’s Alto in its sights. Can it dent India’s largest carmakers strangleholdIJ
Renault’s boss Carlos Ghosn realises the importance of the Indian market for the French carmaker and their Japanese partner Nissan. India is where Ghosn resurrected the Datsun brand and India is where Renault has launched their latest product, the oddly named Renault Kwid.
We are yet to drive the new car but after seeing the pricing of this car, it appears that Renault wants to aim straight at Maruti’s Alto domination of the entry-level car segment. Priced at Rs2.57 lakh, this car is Ghosn making a statement because he himself was involved in the pricing decision.
The Kwid does not just have pricing in its favour but also its looks, styled with an aggressive ‘SUV’ look, it definitely is the smartest looking car in its class. However, the proof of the pudding is in the driving and car sales are not just a function of price but good customer service. So the waiting game for the results have begun.